Museum of Arts and Design Creates $50,000 Artist Prize

At its annual gala this evening, the Museum of Arts and Design in New York announced the creation of the Burke Prize, a new award that will be given annually to an artist aged 45 and younger working with glass, fiber, clay, metals, or wood. The prize comes with $50,000 and is in honor of longstanding MAD patrons Marian and Russell Burke. (Marian currently sits on the museum’s board.)

The Burke Prize will recognize artists who are from or currently based in the United States and its territories. A jury of craft and design experts led by MAD’s chief curator Shannon Stratton will select the inaugural winner from a pool of applicants. Artists can begin applying for the inaugural prize in February 2018, with a winner to be announced the following fall.

Marian Burke said in a statement that the award is meant to “elevate the profile of craft, while [also] encouraging talented young makers to pursue their artistic vision in full force.”